Articles/News with school board tag

The Oak Ridge Board of Education is bringing back school bus service to about 1,300 of 1,800 students who had been affected by an expanded “parent responsibility zone,” following protests from parents and grandparents. The zone was expanded to 1.5 miles in June in an effort to reduce a $1.25 million budget deficit.

Public and non-public school officials in Lakewood, N.J., are in talks to avert a call for parents to drive thousands of children to their private schools in protest against the elimination of publicly funded courtesy busing. Last month, the Lakewood Public Schools Board of Education eliminated all courtesy busing from the 2014-15 budget as a way to meet tax hike caps set by the state.

In March, Etiwanda School District launched a "shared cost model" pilot transportation program for students who live at least 3 miles from school. District officials say that the program "did not generate the interest nor the revenue that was expected," and the board decides to discontinue it after the last day of school.

School districts’ primary responsibility is to educate children. But that doesn’t mean it’s their only responsibility. Pupil transportation is still a part of the overall service that the district provides for the public.

Hoover (Ala.) City Schools' board votes to implement school bus ridership fees for the 2014-15 school year, pending approval by the U.S. District Court. In a memorandum proposing the fees, Superintendent Andy Craig says a fee-based system would help the district “address the financial challenges we are facing.”

With funding for pupil transportation tight, those providing the service must show board members its value. District and bus company officials share tips that can help in getting this group of individuals to become advocates for the yellow bus, from making yourself visible and available to sharing positive stories about your operation.

In our March 2014 issue, officials at school districts and bus companies offer tips that can help in getting school board members to become advocates for the yellow bus. Here are a few more tips, as well as insight on efforts at operations that have been successful in establishing positive relations with school board members on specific issues.

After a 9-year-old girl was fatally struck by a pickup truck while walking home in December, parents petitioned the Etiwanda (Calif.) School District to bring back school bus service. The school board decides to implement a pilot transportation program for students who live at least 3 miles from school.

The Decatur Township school board passes a resolution to notify the Indiana Department of Education that it may terminate transportation services in 2017. Superintendent Matt Prusiecki says that "unfortunately, due to our financial situation, this is a cut we need to consider," but it could be avoided if local voters pass a property tax increase.

Smaller, financially strapped school districts that can offer greater educational opportunities together are the best candidates for mergers, according to new research by the New York State School Boards Association. But mergers can also present drawbacks, the report says, such as longer bus rides.

Medford Township Public Schools continually seeks out opportunities to grow its sustainability practices, reduce transportation costs and generate revenue, which have been accomplished through such initiatives as a solar project, shared bus service and running vehicles on biodiesel. From the solar project alone, the district has realized savings of $300,000 annually.

Hoover (Ala.) City Schools holds a forum to address the board of education’s decision to stop the service with the 2014-15 school year, and parents, students and other community members attend and tell school officials that their decision was a mistake. The district’s superintendent says he is still exploring other variations of the plan, such as phasing in the bus cuts over a longer period of time.

Eric Becoats, superintendent of Durham (N.C.) Public Schools, used a school activity bus and driver in June to go to private events and paid an invoice for the cost of the bus and driver. He apologizes and says that he was informed of policies prohibiting personal use of the vehicles after he used the bus.

Hoover City Schools officials expect that ending the service — to go into effect in August 2014 — will save more than $2.5 million per year. The district cites "sharply declining revenues" as a key factor in the decision.

School bus service to geographically remote areas will continue through the end of the school year at Lake Elsinore Unified School District. The board had earlier approved temporary bus service, for the first semester, for nearly 2,200 students who live in remote areas.

Temporary school bus routes will serve nearly 2,200 Lake Elsinore Unified School District students who live in remote areas. The district had decided earlier in the year to cut regular-ed transportation, but officials now say that about $350,000 in one-time funding is available to restore limited busing.

The Red Lion Bus Co. vehicle will serve 18 students who attend a Pennsylvania school district. The children live off of a road deemed by the state to be too hazardous for walking, and it is too narrow for a regular-size school bus to navigate.

Jennifer Vest overhears two people discussing plans to break into cars during a middle school basketball game and immediately reports it to campus safety officials. The Richmond County Board of Education honors Vest for her actions.

The industry coalition’s Yellow School Bus Champions program provides 5-, 10- and 30-minute presentations that are available for download. They cover the safety, educational and environmental advantages of school bus use.

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